Picking up the hairdryer he stared into the mirror, and the mirror stared back. He turned the dryer on full blast and scrunched up his eyes while attacking his whole head with the hot air. The mirror flickered in triumph of its victory over their staring contest; it always won.

He finished and spun to face his empty room. An unmade bed cluttered with books and papers and responsibility, a desk of half open drawers filled with old memories, and the floor cluttered with his clothes, dirty and clean.
Moving his school responsibilities aside, he pulled a long sequined dress out from under his bed and laid it out with a pair of strappy silver heels on the ground below it.

Perfect.

The dress fit him a little loose, but was the perfect length once he squeezed into the shoes.

The mirror felt that it was not the best time for a staring contest as he twisted his hips and gazed into the mirror over a shoulder, wondering what effect a necklace would have.

If he squinted his eyes just right, the sequins sparkled like stars in the night sky, that was why he liked this dress so much.

The door knob rattled and his whole body froze.
It flew wide open, “Can you help me with--” the girl broke off as caught sight of her younger brother. He turned his head slightly to face her as she walked into the room and slowly shut the door.

Terror flooded cold through his veins. “Please don’t tell---”

She was walking purposefully towards him, her face set and her jaw tight. She was going to slap him and he knew it. He flinched as she raised her hand--

But there was no sting on his cheek, only soft fingers on his shoulder. He looked into the mirror and saw her gently straightening out the sleeve on his dress. He automatically reached up a hand to do the other side and looked through the mirror to pass her a furtive smile.

“So, um, are you okay with this?” he asked timidly.

“Are you kidding?” She beamed up at his reflection. “You know I’ve always wanted a little sister. Actually, wait a second, I have a necklace that would look great with that.”